Countdown series

The Countdown series was a recurring animated segment during the early years of Sesame Street. Each clip began the same: a wide-mouthed launch director (perched atop a podium) stands next to a button, ready to trigger a rocket (proudly displaying the letters "USA" on its side). A group of people closely standby, awaiting the launch. The director counts backwards, from ten to one, but when he's finished counting, some kind of disaster often occurs. In early episodes, Carol Burnett would appear at the end of one or more of these segments in a filmed tag, where she laments, "Well, back to the ol' drawing board."

The first three Countdown films appeared on the Sesame Street Pitch Reel and This Way to Sesame Street.

Segments

Picture	Summary	First Appearance	Description
	#1: Flop	Episode 0018	After the countdown, the rocket flops over. The director nervously chuckles.Template:Sketchrelease2
	#2: Soot	Episode 0018	The rocket lifts early, and showers everyone in soot.
	#3: Director Launch	Episode 0018	After countdown, the director himself is launched into space as the rocket stays put.
	#4: Water	Episode 0022	After the countdown, water comes out of the rocket and splashes everyone.
	#5: Spectator Launch	Episode 0022	Minus his podium, the director laughs nervously as he accidently launches the spectators into space.
	#6: Explosion	Episode 0022	The rocket takes off at seven. It comes back down so the director can continue his countdown, but at one, it falls over and explodes, crushing the spectators' stand.
	#7: Successful Launch	Episode 0042	Unlike previous segments, the rocket successfully launches at the right time as everyone celebrates, and the director grins at the camera.